Edmonton (28-19-3) at Tampa Bay (32-11-6)

It’s only fitting that things have been mercurial early into coach Woodcroft’s tenure, with visions of a more complete elite team mixed in with glimpses of the roster’s fatal flaws. Personally I’m inclined to be on the more positive side of things, but regardless of how any of us feel the Oilers have an important and telling road trip ahead of them, starting tonight with the reigning back to back champion Tampa Bay Lightning. With stops against other top teams in Florida and Carolina on the horizon the substance and mettle of our Oilers will be thoroughly measured in the coming games.

Not to be overlooked, the tall task on hand tonight will be the NHL’s most complete team, the Lightning. Save for some forward depth that earned raises through free agency, the roster that has terrorized the past 2 postseasons remains intact. Star players at each position are punctuated with a consistency of purpose and effort, forged in the fires of disappointments. The Lightning solidified their place as a legendary team with their second Cup win and certainly embody the platitudes that Oilers GM Holland reiterates in regards to his Detroit teams.

The Oilers are obviously not as far along on their journey, yet the urgency and desperation of time running out for them has loomed over the past few months. With each loss the anxieties of an era’s doom swell, case in point regarding Smith’s small and inconsistent sample size this season. The carousel of concern rotates to the goaltending position once more. It is certainly understandable that these concerns exist, but another way that the Lightning are the cut above the rest of the league lies with Vasilevskiy. Many contenders, from Colorado, to Florida, to Toronto, to Washington, to Carolina, are somewhat uneasy with their current situations. 

The key for the Oilers is that they have 3 reasonable options at a reasonable collective cost, and since the beginning of the season I have been suggesting the best case scenario is to split starts between them as evenly as possible. Easier said than done, and there’s still much to be gained by upgrading the position, but there’s absolutely no excuse to play any of Smith, Koskinen, or Skinner at more than a 50 game pace, especially given the condensed schedule before us.

We’re expecting to see Smith tonight, but Woodcroft cannot be shy about starting Koskinen (who has been the Oilers best goalie this season, despite being the most criticized) against top teams.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Edmonton:

1. Details. The Oilers will need to be at their sharpest in all aspects of the game more so than any other night. Strong defensive coverage and penalty killing are musts, as are some extraordinary individual performances from McDavid, Draisaitl, and Smith.

Tampa Bay:

1. Contain the stars. We know that the Lightning are the better team and they know it too. If they are able to contain 97 and 29 there’s no reason the champs shouldn’t handle their business at home tonight.

EXPECTED LINEUPS

Edmonton:

McLeod — McDavid — Hyman

Kane — Draisaitl — Yamamoto

Foegele — Nugent-Hopkins — Ryan

Shore — Sceviour — Benson

Nurse — Bouchard

Lagesson — Ceci

Niemelainen — Barrie

Smith

Koskinen

Tampa Bay:

Palat — Point — Kucherov

Killorn — Stamkos — Joseph

Colton — Cirelli — Raddysh

Maroon — Bellemare — Perry

Hedman — Sergachev

McDonagh — Cernak

Rutta — Foote

Vasilevskiy

Elliott

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Edmonton:

For the first time in the Woodcroft era it seems as though we’ll see a more traditional balance of forwards to defencemen. McLeod jumps up to Puljujarvi’s spot, allowing the potential endgame 2nd line some time together. Any talk about Puljujarvi not playing well this season is not very productive, insightful, or even accurate in my opinion. In general I think that his best play is still ahead of him as well, and he would most certainly be a player I’d happily include in my team’s core.

It’s great, and frankly past due, that Benson scored his first NHL goal. Hopefully we see his confidence take off from here. This might be his best chance at asserting himself as a bonafide everyday NHLer.

McLeod seems to have done exactly that as of late, as has Lagesson and to an extent Niemelainen. To bank on these players effectively holding huge roles in September would have seemed far fetched, yet here we are. It’s a credit to them and their work, as well as the coaching staff for being able to recognize and support that fact.

Tampa Bay:

Perhaps it’s because he missed last regular season, but it cannot be overstated that Kucherov is one of the NHL’s top players, easily in the same category as McDavid and Draisaitl on a shift by shift basis. Point isn’t far behind, but honestly it seems as if he saves his best for the playoffs. Stamkos isn’t quite what he used to be but he is well supported to play to his strengths. Killorn and Palat being a workmanlike effort and a refined effectiveness.

On the rise Cirelli and Joseph have cemented themselves as integral pieces of this lineup, especially considering their affordable cap hits. Both should be in line for long careers given their skills and experience as 2 time champions. To a lesser degree, Colton and Raddysh are useful in a similar context, Colton bringing lots of speed and Raddysh a history of scoring through his minor and junior career.

The fourth line is truly a unique unit. 3-peat champion Patrick Maroon is joined by new teammates, former Hart winner and super pest Corey Perry, and one of the premiere defensive fourth line centres of the past 5-or-so seasons P.E. Bellemare. It’s a tough, gritty, veteran trio that will only become more effective as the season grows longer and the stage grows brighter.

The blueline is completely intact, featuring the key talented defenders that have delivered success to Tampa. Classics like Hedman and McDonagh are still at their relative peaks, while Sergachev is coming into his own nicely. Foote is still developing, but in all it’s a group without much blemishes, if any, featuring an ideal blend of skills.